Switch-lock



(No Model.)

' D. H. SPEER.

SWITCH LOOK.

110,276,089. Patented Apr.17 ,1883.

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WITNESSES. WORK ATTORNEYS.

UNITED STATES I PATENT OFFICE.

DAVID H. SPEER, OF .PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

SWITCH-LOCK.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 276,089, dated April 17, 1883,

Application filed July 14, 1882. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, DAVID H. SPEER, of Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Railroad-S witch Locks, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the annexed drawings, forming part of this specification.

This invention relates to looks for securing the lever or bar by which a railroad-switch is operated; and the invention consists in a springactuated bolt of peculiar construction, combined with devices for setting the same in such manner that it will be tripped by the disengagementof the lever and thrown into position for automatically locking said lever.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a longitudinal section on line a0 00, Fig. 2, showing the key in position for unlocking or setting the bolt. Fig. 2 is a plan view with the top of the casing removed, showing the lever partially broken away; and Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on line 3 11 The casing of the lock is formed of two shells, A B, having a cylindrical recess, 0, for receiving the bolt D, which is provided with a collar, E, to limit its outward movement. The inner end of the bolt is reduced at F and squared to form a sliding joint with the cylindrical head Gr, which contains a seat for a portion of the key H. The head G is supported in' suitable bearings, and is provided with a collar, I, which is accommodated in a recess, J, in the casing. A corresponding head, K, is supported in the end of the casin g, and is provided with a collar, L, which limits its outward movement. The head K is provided with a key seat, M, through which the key H passes to engage with the seat in the head G. The object of forming the key-seat in the two separate heads is to enable the key to be withdrawn as soon as the bolt is unlocked without having to turn it back, and also, in case the lug h on the key should be wrenchcd off, to allow it to drop down between the heads into the recess J, where it will be out of the way, so that another key can be used without the necessity of opening the casing to remove the said lug.

The bolt D is inclosed by a coil-spring, N, one end of which is secured to the bolt, while the other en gages with a recess, 0, in the lower shell, B. The bolt, near its inner end, is provided with a lug, P, which engages with the surface of the upper shell, A, to prevent the bolt from being turned the wrong way, and which is adapted to be turned with the bolt in the direction of the arrow until it passes the end of a spring, Q, located underneath it in the recess J, and is held thereby. As shown in Fig. 2, the upper end of this spring is narrower than the recess J, so that if the bolt is pressed inward longitudinally against the tension of the coil -spring the lug P will thereby be thrown out of engagement with the spring Q, and the coil-spring, which has been wound by the turning of the bolt, will retract the bolt and lug P to the position shown in Fig. 3.

'As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the outer end of the bolt D is beveled at It to form a nose, S, at its lower side, which shall engage with a perforation in the lever T to hold the lever in a locked position. WVhen the key is applied and the bolt is turned half a revolution in the manner above described, the nose S is turned up to the position shown in dotted line, Fig. 1, in which position it is held by the mechanism already described until the lever T is lifted upward out of the seat or rest formed for it between the casing and the projection U. As the lever is lifted upward, (see Fig. 1,) it will bear against the beveled surface'of the end of the bolt and press the latter inward to make its escape, while the inward movement of the bolt releases the lug P from the spring Q, and thus trips said mechanism and allows the bolt to turn back to its normal position, with its nose downward, (see Fig. 1,) in which position it will engage with the lever automatically by simply pressing the lever down against the bevel surface of the said end, the coil-spring yielding and allowing the necessary longitudinal movement of the bolt.

It is evident that, instead of the ordinary ground-lever for operating the switch, a longitudinally-moving bar connected to the switch may just as well be used in connection with this look, provided the normal position of the bolt be changed, so that the bevel end thereof shall be operated upon by a horizontally-moving part instead of a vertically-movin g one, as above described.

Having thus described my invention, what I 1 its projecting end beveled on one side, the coil- -elaim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, spring inclosing the bolt, the key-seat formed isin two separate parts, one of which engages 15 1. Thecombinati0n,with the operatinglever with the bolt with a sliding joint, and the 5 or bar of a railroad-switch, ot the spring-actuspring adapted to engage with a lug on the ated bolt and means for setting the bolt, bolt to hold it set for releasing the lever, subwhereby it may be tripped by the dlsengagestantially as shown and described.

ment; of the lever and restored to a position for automatically locking said lever, substantially DAVID SPEER' 10 as shown and described. Witnesses:

2. The combination, with the operatinglevef A. G. LYNE, or bar of a railroad-switch, of the bolt having SoLoN O. KEMoN. 

